I was starting to feel awful.
But we had an agreement. I wasn’t just mooching off them, I was… servicing them? Oh, geez….
“Mamma!” Leandro was quick to correct his mother. All over again, they were arguing, and this time, it was loud and too fast for me to try and follow. Not that I understood Italian in any way, but it wasn’t hard to read a person by their body language. I had figured her out early on, and she thought she had me understood as well. I guess she kind of did.
I took my glass and drank down the wine that was left, then I pulled my hand from Leandro’s.
“I need some air,” I whispered to him as I got to my feet.
“Jourdanne, please.”
“I’m okay, really.” I tapped his arm and gave a smile.
On my way out of the room, all I could hear was Leandro’s mother lecturing him without pause. I went through the entryway, past the stairs, and out of the back door. I hadn’t been out there before, but I had noticed it on my previous visits. I knew there was a grand flower garden out there, and I knew it would be the best place to go and take a breather and to let some tears fall without being noticed.
MATT
I felt like I was in time out. The pool house might as well have been my own house. Each time Leandro’s parents came to visit, I had to stay there so they wouldn’t know about me. After the years that Leandro and I had been together, I expected better. Still, I didn’t want to hurt him or cause him trouble, especially in front of his mother. So, I gladly accepted the night as he arranged.
I wasn’t happy about him using Jourdanne as a pretend girlfriend, but then again, that was exactly what I was doing too. It was a job, though, and she was certainly earning her money. Whether it be with Leandro or me, she was fulfilling her end of the contract beautifully. I couldn’t get her out of my mind. Her beautiful body laid out before me, the way she came in my arms. I wanted her again, but I had to be patient.
I moped around the pool house for a while that evening, and I had even thought about leaving for a bit. Maybe to go downtown and get dinner or have a cocktail at the rooftop lounge. I was bored out of my mind, but as I paced the front room of the pool house, I caught sight of Jourdanne down in the bushes. She looked divine. Her loose dress swayed as she paced along the landscaping. She had on a pair of heels and her hair was moving around in the light breeze.
I watched her for a few more seconds before noticing that she was crying. I felt my heart hit the floor as she wiped away tear after tear. Thankfully, she was down in the gardens and out of sight from the dining room. I left the pool house and went to see her.
“Jourdanne?”
“Oh, Matt.” She smiled and rubbed her eyes a little, then her cheeks. Her makeup was breath-taking and somehow perfectly intact given her tears. “I didn’t see you there.”
I smiled and softened my brow. “Are you alright?”
She drew in a breath, then forced a bigger smile. “Of course.”
I walked up and moved her bangs from her eyes as the breeze pulled her hair off her shoulders. It was a warm evening, but the wind was helping.
“What’s happened?”
Jourdanne bit her bottom lip. I cupped her jaw with my hand, then rubbed my thumb along her lip until she leaned into my touch.
“Who made you cry?”
This time, she gave me an authentic smile. It was delicate and sad, and it made my stomach turn. I glanced up at the house and then back to her.
“His mother sure is lovely,” she spoke softly.
I brought Jourdanne close and held her against my chest. “Don’t let her bother you. She rarely comes around anyway.”
Jourdanne wrapped her arms around me and grabbed onto my shirt. It was subtle, but enough for me to notice. She wasn’t comfortable inside with Leandro and his parents, but she was with me.
“Here,” I said, guiding her to the bench. We were outside the kitchen pantry window, nestled into the tall bushes that surrounded the garden all the way around. It was quiet and peaceful, even more so with Jourdanne in my arms.
“You’re so kind to me, Matt. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve someone so sincere in my life.” Jourdanne leaned against me there on the bench and I instinctively put my arm around her. What could I say to her? She was perfect in every way. How could she not deserve sincerity?
“You’re just as kind, if not more.”